Blog

Those intrigued by the current political atmosphere may find Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams an interesting read. Set in the mid-60s, it captures the world of politics and gives the reader a glimpse into what it can be like living under a microscope. Family dynamics play a large role in the book but there are also political agendas, secrets, lies and betrayals, and secret love affairs. The time frames switches back and forth between 1964 and 1966, but both stories are beautifully intertwined.

Bestseller Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal is a good novel for foodies and for people who are familiar with the Twin Cities. If you like food—church basement suppers, high-end locally sourced gourmet ingredients, or county fair bake-off bars—this is a tasty treat. If you are familiar with the Twin Cities you will enjoy references to St. Paul’s Farmer’s Market, First Avenue, Loring Park, and Seward Co-op.

Hopeless romantics everywhere will want to add Brown-Eyed Girl by Lisa Kleypas to their reading list. It is a wonderfully romantic story guaranteed to warm your heart. Although this might be the fourth book in the author's Travis Family series, it still does well as a standalone and proves that you don't always need high drama to keep things interesting. It has been years since I read the last one but with back stories perfectly woven in I had no problem catching up with the Travis clan.

Last Bus to Wisdom is a charming, funny, heartwarming, and autobiographical novel set mainly in Montana and briefly in Manitowoc. Donal is an eleven-year-old orphan living in Montana with his grandmother who is a cook on the Double W ranch. In the summer of 1951, his grandmother needs surgery, and Donal is sent on the Greyhound Bus (which he calls the dog bus) to Manitowoc to stay with his Great Aunt Kate and Great Uncle Herman.

Book artist, professor and maker Steve Miller will explore the power of making things by hand in Making in a Digital World, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 15, at the Fond du Lac Public Library. The program is free; no registration required. Miller’s presentation is sponsored by UW-Fond du Lac, where he will give his talk on campus the same day.

What a wild ride! Author Jackie Collins is an expert at creating a perfect blend of sex, ambition, drugs, alcohol, mayhem and murder, and she delivers exactly that in her latest novel, The Santangelos. The characters are strongly developed with lots of flaws and faults (and scandals). Collins is known for giving her readers an unrivaled insider's knowledge of Hollywood and the glamorous lives and loves of the rich, famous, and... infamous!

It started over summer and went over gangbusters, so the Fond du Lac Public Library will bring back its tech programs for kids. Techie Thursdays, held the third Thursday of the month at 4 p.m., will encourage kids ages 7-12 to get in the tech zone with hands-on, creative projects. Some involve mechanics, some don’t, but all are maker-y. The program is free; no registration required.